15 New Year’s Resolutions from the prophets for 2015

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve speaks at general conference. (Image courtesy Mormon Newsroom)

As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from around the world prepare for the new year, many are setting goals for their physical, mental, emotional and spiritual development.

While these goals may be inspired by any number of sources, prophets and other Church leaders mentioned during the October 2014 General Conference some specific changes people can make to improve their lives and their spirituality.

In his address, Elder Elder Quentin L. Cook said, “I encourage everyone, young and old, to review goals and objectives and strive to exercise greater discipline. Our daily conduct and choices should be consistent with our goals. We need to rise above rationalizations and distractions. It is especially important to make choices consistent with our covenants to serve Jesus Christ in righteousness.”

Here are 15 goals from the prophets to help you center your life on Christ during 2015.

1. Avoid contention

Today’s world—especially the online social media world—is fraught with arguments and differing opinions. Church members can emulate Christ by being peacemakers even when they disagree with others.

“On the subject of public discourse, we should all follow the gospel teachings to love our neighbor and avoid contention,” Elder Dallin H. Oaks taught. “Followers of Christ should be examples of civility. We should love all people, be good listeners, and show concern for their sincere beliefs. Though we may disagree, we should not be disagreeable. . . . We should be wise in explaining and pursuing our positions and in exercising our influence.”

The Gilbert Arizona Temple was dedicated in March 2014. (Photo courtesy LDS Church)

2. Find more meaning in temple service

With a new temple set for dedication in Utah County during 2015, now is a great time to recommit to meaningful temple worship. Elder Richard G. Scott taught, “Don’t let anyone or anything prevent you from being there. While you are in the temple, listen to the words of the ordinances, ponder them, pray about them, and seek to understand their meaning. The temple is one of the best places to come to understand the power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Seek Him there. Remember that many more blessings come from providing your own family names in the temple.”

3. Take care of your body

“Take responsibility for your own physical well-being,”Elder Jörg Klebingat taught. “Feeding the spirit while neglecting the body, which is a temple, usually leads to spiritual dissonance and lowered self-esteem. If you are out of shape, if you are uncomfortable in your own body and can do something about it, then do it! … [P]lease use good judgment in what and especially how much you eat, and regularly give your body the exercise it needs and deserves.“

4. Learn more about the gospel

“In searching the scriptures and the words of past and current apostles and prophets, we should focus on studying, living, and loving the doctrine of Christ,” he taught. “In addition to developing the habit of personal scripture reading, we need to be like the sons of Mosiah and give ourselves ‘to much prayer, and fasting.’ It seems that these things which are not easily measured are of great importance. Stay focused on these simple things, and avoid becoming distracted.”

5. Be a better parent

Children are the future of our homes, the Church and the world. Therefore, the role of parents is of paramount importance.

“It is my firm conviction that there has never been a period in my many years of life when our Father in Heaven’s children have needed the guiding hand of faithful, devoted parents more,” Elder L. Tom Perry taught. “… We must find within ourselves that same determined spirit and overcome the challenges we face with the same spirit of sacrifice. We must instill in future generations an ever stronger reliance on the teachings of our Lord and Savior.”

6. Improve personal scripture study

Prophets have repeatedly counseled that scripture study is essential to gaining a testimony and maintaining the companionship of the Spirit.

“Don’t yield to Satan’s lie that you don’t have time to study the scriptures,” Elder Richard G. Scott taught. “Choose to take time to study them. Feasting on the word of God each day is more important than sleep, school, work, television shows, video games, or social media. You may need to reorganize your priorities to provide time for the study of the word of God. If so, do it!”

7. Serve someone every day

The small acts of service we offer may seem insignificant, but Elder Jeffery R. Holland taught that when we do what we can, our offering will make a difference.

“A journalist once questioned Mother Teresa of Calcutta about her hopeless task of rescuing the destitute in that city,” Elder Holland said. “He said that, statistically speaking, she was accomplishing absolutely nothing. This remarkable little woman shot back that her work was about love, not statistics. Notwithstanding the staggering number beyond her reach, she said she could keep the commandment to love God and her neighbor by serving those within her reach with whatever resources she had.”

8. Have more meaningful prayer

Improving prayer habits can improve every facet of life. Elder Richard G. Scott taught, “Choose to converse with your Father in Heaven often. Make time every day to share your thoughts and feelings with Him. Tell Him everything that concerns you. He is interested in the most important as well as the most mundane facets of your life. Share with Him your full range of feelings and experiences.”

9. Increase your fast offering

When speaking about caring for the poor, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland asked Church members to be “as generous as circumstances permit” in their contributions.

“Cherish that sacred privilege [to fast] at least monthly, and be as generous as circumstances permit in your fast offering and other humanitarian, educational, and missionary contributions,” he said. “I promise that God will be generous to you, and those who find relief at your hand will call your name blessed forever.”

[pullquote]”Because the Atonement of Jesus Christ is very practical, you should apply it generously 24/7, for it never runs out.” —Elder Jörg Klebingat, Of the Seventy[/pullquote]

10. Repent daily

Repentance has some negative connotations, but daily repentance helps disciples of Christ become closer to the Savior.

“Because the Atonement of Jesus Christ is very practical, you should apply it generously 24/7, for it never runs out,” Elder Jörg Klebingat said. “Embrace the Atonement of Jesus Christ and repentance as things that are to be welcomed and applied daily according to the Great Physician’s orders. Establish an attitude of ongoing, happy, joyful repentance by making it your lifestyle of choice. … Keeping your eyes on the Savior, care more about what He thinks of you, and let the consequences follow.”

11. Have Family Home Evening

As Church members strengthen their own testimonies, teaching family members gospel truths will increase their understanding and increase the influence of the Spirit in family members’ lives.

“Be cautious not to make your family home evening just an afterthought of a busy day,” Elder Richard G. Scott taught. “Decide that on Monday night your family will be together at home for the evening. Do not let employment demands, sports, extracurricular activities, homework, or anything else become more important than that time you spend together at home with your family. The structure of your evening is not as important as the time invested.”

12. Forgive quickly

“Forgive everyone, everything, all the time, or at least strive to do so, thus allowing forgiveness into your own life,” Elder Jörg Klebingat said. “Don’t hold grudges, don’t be easily offended, forgive and forget quickly, and don’t ever think that you are exempt from this commandment. Spiritual confidence increases when you know that the Lord knows that you bear no ill feelings toward another soul.”

13. Maintain a clear vision

As Church members set new goals and resolve to become better, it’s important to keep the end goal in mind. Elder Carlos A. Godoy taught this important principle: “Making decisions that can impact our lives and those we love without having the broader vision of their consequences can bring some risks. However, if we project the possible consequences of these decisions into the future, we can see with greater clarity the best path to take in the present. Understanding who we are, why we are here, and what the Lord expects from us in this life will help give us the broader vision we need. … We have the scriptures, the temple, living prophets, our patriarchal blessings, inspired leaders, and, above all, the right to receive personal revelation to guide our decisions.”

14. Evaluate yourself honestly

As people improve their lives and become more committed disciples, constant self-evaluation helps the process continue. President Dieter F. Uchtdorf gave this helpful formula for self-evaluation:

“[H]ow can we shine the pure light of God’s truth into our souls and see ourselves as He sees us? May I suggest that the holy scriptures and the talks given at general conference are an effective mirror we can hold up for self-examination. As you hear or read the words of the ancient and modern prophets, refrain from thinking about how the words apply to someone else and ask the simple question: ‘Lord, is it I?'”

15. Emulate Jesus Christ

The best goals and resolutions lead Church members toward Jesus Christ. President Thomas S. Monson taught, “As we strive to place Christ at the center of our lives by learning His words, by following His teachings, and by walking in His path, He has promised to share with us the eternal life that He died to gain. There is no higher end than this, that we should choose to accept His discipline and become His disciples and do His work throughout our lives. Nothing else, no other choice we make, can make of us what He can.”

Breanna Olaveson worked in the magazine industry before taking her writing from full-time to nap time with the birth of her first daughter. Her work has appeared in the Ensign, Liahona and New Era magazines, as well as Utah Valley Magazine, Utah Valley BusinessQ, Utah Valley Bride and the Provo Daily Herald. She lives in Utah county with her husband and three children. She blogs at www.breannaolaveson.com.

Bob and John, I got completely different feelings about this article. I didn’t think it was the same old hogwash and I didn’t think it was a guilt trip. I felt it was a very loving article just encouraging people to serve and do their best. For me it was hopeful and uplifting.

I’m not sure if I quite agree that every 24 hours of our life, we have sinned in SOME way that requires repentance. Yes we all have weaknesses… I understand that. But our weaknesses, in and of themselves, are NOT sins that require repenting of EVERY single day. We can look back on each day of our lives and see places where we might have “done better” or “improved”, but that doesn’t necessarily mean we have SINNED.

Jesus Christ himself did many things in his life that some might say he could have “done better at”… but we know that he was still SINLESS and did NOT require repentance. For example:
1. He called Herod a fox (Luke 13:32). Couldn’t he have avoided slander in EVERY way and just held his peace like he did in front of Pilate?
2. He totally ignored the scribes and Pharisees who were asking him serious questions (John 8:6). Couldn’t he have avoided using “the silent treatment” that everyone nowadays looks on as immature and rude?
3. He referred to Peter, one of his apostles and friends who merely wanted to protect him, as Satan (Matthew 16:23). Couldn’t he have avoided such a term that would have put someone down?
4. He didn’t just ASK the moneychangers to leave the temple or try to teach or persuade them…instead he actually made a whip and DROVE them out, and threw over their tables (John 2:15). Nowadays people would see that as a BIG no-no.

As we can see, there are things even in the life of Christ that are questionable by others. But of course we know that Christ was SINLESS. All of these things that WE might look upon as sins that need repenting of because he “could have done it a better way”, obviously did NOT require repentance.

I do agree that it would be wise to EXAMINE ourselves each day to be sure we are right in God’s eyes, and repent if necessary, but again, I don’t think it was told to us in the Pre-mortal World that we would sin at least once in every 24-hour period. I don’t believe that was part of the plan of salvation.

I DO agree with the statements made in the Doctrines of the Gospel Institute manual which read: “When we speak of the continual need of repentance, let it not be understood that we refer to a cycle of sinning and repenting and sinning again. That is not complete repentance.” (Doctrines of the Gospel, p 39) “Repentance is a thing that cannot be trifled with every day. Daily transgression and daily repentance is not that which is pleasing in the sight of God” (Smith, Teachings, 148). (also on p 39 of Doctrines of the Gospel).

Elder Richard G. Scott of the Quorum of the 12 Apostles even echoed that same quote by Joseph Smith in the April 1995 General Conference: “Joseph Smith declared: “Repentance is a thing that cannot be trifled with every day. Daily transgression and daily repentance is not … pleasing in the sight of God.”” (Elder Richard G. Scott, “Finding Forgiveness”, Ensign, May 1995, p 75)

I remember one day when I was a temple ordinance worker with my wife before we had our first child. We got up early, drove to the temple, and started work right when the temple opened at 7:00am. As they were short on workers, we ended up staying the whole day, leaving when the temple closed @ 10:00pm. We were in the Lord’s house, doing His work. We were spending time together as husband & wife. Our thoughts and actions were pure throughout the day. We obeyed traffic rules and listened to uplifting music on the way to and from the temple. We did everything we needed to do that day to remain close to God. When we said our prayers that night, the spirit touched our hearts on the events of that day. Did I do something that day that I shouldn’t have? Did I not do something that day that I should have? Did I commit any sin that day and require repentance? I don’t believe so. Is it true that I MUST have done SOMETHING wrong that day? Should I constantly look back on that day and have it bother me for the rest of my life because that was a day in which I felt I didn’t need to repent? Again, I don’t believe so. Perhaps, you might say, I am being prideful and in denial by bringing up this instance (which I don’t believe I am, because I’m not saying this to show I’m better than anyone) … but was I prideful THAT particular day? I was not. Maybe my sin that day was that I was being TOO spiritual and not having enough worldly influence in my life??? Now that would be blasphemous.

One of the steps of repentance is RECOGNITION of sin! If we examine ourselves in a given day and can’t think of a time when we’ve sinned, how do we TRULY repent? You can’t repent of a sin you don’t know you committed! It would actually be a sin (dishonesty) to say that you sinned when you really didn’t!

Can we make it through one hour in a day without sinning? How about two hours? Five hours? Ten hours? What makes 24 hours the magical number when we MUST have sinned at some point? Is it really THAT impossible for any human being to resist evil, even for ONE day? If so, I’d say we definitely DESERVE the Telestial Kingdom! In the Grand Council in Heaven, we were told we would be subject to sin. I somehow doubt, however, that our Father in Heaven would place a time limit on how often we would sin, and tell us, that no matter what, we would HAVE to sin SOME time in EVERY 24-hour period. To do so would limit our agency.

This seems to be something that is being brought up a lot lately – that each one of us sins every single day of our life. I don’t believe that our Father in Heaven thinks that little of us that he would cause us to sin that often in our mortal lives. Sin is WILLFUL rebellion against God. To sin is a CHOICE we make. I’m sure there are days in our lives when we actually HAVEN’T sinned… where we HAVEN’T made the choice to disobey God. Again, I DO agree with EXAMINING ourselves each day to determine if there are things we should repent for, but to say that we absolutely HAVE to REPENT every day? Again, that would imply that our Heavenly Father has made us so evil that we have no choice… we HAVE to sin every 24 hours. Thus we would be saying that Heavenly Father has limited our moral agency, implying that God is NOT just, and be blasphemous!

It the truest sense of the word, “Repentance” has steps involved with it. Yes, it means “change” in a way, but it also details HOW we make that change. If you are unable to determine anything you did (or didn’t do) that wasn’t in harmony with Christ, then how do you TRULY “repent”?

I *AM* grateful for repentance! Very much so! However, I also believe in not abusing it, as Joseph Smith states (also quoted by Richard G. Scott), “Repentance is a thing that cannot be trifled with every day. Daily transgression and daily repentance is not that which is pleasing in the sight of God” (Smith, Teachings, 148). (also on p 39 of Doctrines of the Gospel Institute manual).

God expects us to USE our agency, and he expects us to use it well. There CAN be 24-hour periods in our lives where we do NOT commit sin, just as there can be 1-hour periods. If we think before we act, choose good over evil, and determine in our minds what Christ would do in all of our doings in the day, we should not have to despair or feel guilty that we can’t come up with something to “repent” of at the day’s end. We should be able to REJOICE in that we didn’t cause our Savior to shed more blood than He needed to in Gethsemane!

So… if, by “daily repentance” we mean examining ourselves each day to determine if our lives are still in harmony with the Lord’s teachings (which they MAY possibly be), that’s understandable. If by “daily repentance” we mean confession of sin to God every day, even if we can’t think of how we sinned (which is dishonest), that has its issues! 🙂

That seems to be where there’s an issue – what the word “repentance” actually means. If it means EXAMINING ourselves every day to see if we are still in line with Christ’s teachings, I have no issue with it. If it means confession of sin and asking for forgiveness every day because we have somehow offended God, I do NOT agree with that. As mentioned earlier, the prophet Joseph Smith said (and Elder Richard G. Scott also quoted this), “Repentance is a thing that cannot be trifled with every day. Daily transgression and daily repentance is not that which is pleasing in the sight of God” (Elder Richard G. Scott, “Finding Forgiveness”, Ensign, May 1995, p 75).

So which is correct? Repent every day, or repent when necessary?
Also mentioned, the Institute manual – Doctrines of the Gospel sates that – “When we speak of the continual need of repentance, let it not be understood that we refer to a cycle of sinning and repenting and sinning again. That is not complete repentance.” (Doctrines of the Gospel, p 39) God gave us agency for a reason… He expects us to use our free will to NOT sin every day of our lives! He expects us to THINK before we act and choose against sin! If we can make it through ONE hour in a day without sinning, who’s to say that we CAN’T get through one 24-period (or two or three, or…) within our lives without sinning.

In the truest sense of the word, there are steps to FULL repentance. One of those steps is RECOGNITION of the sin! If we truly do our best to think through the day and can’t come up with something we need to repent for, do we repent anyway? That would be dishonest! Do we fall into despair because we can’t think of SOMETHING we did (or didn’t do) that day that wasn’t in line with God’s will? I’m sure the Lord would want us to REJOICE if we made it through a period of time without sinning!

I’m not saying I’m perfect… far from it. However, I am saying that there are 24-hour periods in my life where I feel I did quite well. I did everything I was supposed to, I didn’t do anything I wasn’t supposed to…. what, then, do I need to repent for at the end of the day? How do I confess something that I can’t think of? For example, my FULL day at the temple with my wife (explained previously). The magnitude of the spirit I felt at the end of that day testified to me that that truly was a perfect day without sin in my life.

I’m not saying repentance is completely unnecessary. It definitely *IS* necessary! It just all depends on how one DEFINES “repentance”! Examine yourself everyday and use the Atonement where needed? For sure! Confess sin and beg the Lord for forgiveness everyday, even if you can’t determine what your “mistakes” were? That’s a different story! 🙂

Also… yes, Christ was perfect! That was my point!
The very things tht people would “condemn” us for because we ” could have done better” were NOT sins in the life of Christ!
Why, then, do WE count “not doing better than we could have” as a sin??
It would be much like taking an exam… You study SO hard, you go into the exam well rested, you concentrate SO much…
But there are things on the exam that the prof put in that weren’t studied, your mind plays games, you’re under pressure… and you get an A- instead of an A+.
Is this something you need to “repent” for? Could you control what the prof was going to put in the exam? Is there a way to eliminate the pressure from an exam?
These are things beyond our control – “weaknesses” rather than “sins”. We should not despair that we got an A- instead of an A+ in this case. We should rejoice! We know we did everything in our power to do the right thing. No matter what anyone else may think the issue was that caused us to fall from A+ status, it was NOT sin! We finished the course, we still made it with honor! Now, with our added experience, our Father in Heaven can help us turn those weaknesses into strengths that can help us be perfect!
Here is an excellent book to read on this subject:http://deseretbook.com/Weakness-Not-Sin-Liberating-Distinction-Awakens-Our-Strengths-Wendy-Ulrich/i/5021780

Great thoughts, I agree so much, but I thought I should point out it only says in the article that we should apply the atonement in our lives 24/7. Even if we dont sin, I can see the atonement in my life everyday.

I used to look at sin as being those BIG things that we all hear of like adultery, murder, stealing and other similar things that we all know will ruin our lives or are definitely a breaking of the commandments, but I have since learned that sin can b even those small things, to include sins of ommission. Repentance is not a bad word reserved only for obvious things that are mentioned in scripture, but repentance is merely a turning around to face the right direction and a promise to do better. So many things go wrong in our lives because of the smaller things as well and repentance is a process of change. Who would not benefit by spending more quality time with family members or handling finances better? Some things that Christ said or did I do not understand now, but a little at a time I am able to understand as I seek to understand and ask the right questions.

The gospel is simply beautiful and beautifully simple. Change (repentance) should be a daily thing, because every day we have thoughts that are impure, however fleeting they are, and impure thoughts means we are not yet Christ-like. Try to shift your perspective from a premise of doing right vs. doing wrong to the core reason of obedience, a change of heart and nature. Until we are exactly like Jesus we need to change every day. Change/repentance should be something we look forward to, not something to fear or avoid, because it results in clarity and peace of mind and heart and the purest joys possible in this life and in eternity. It’s really no more complicated than that.

Stressing so much about extraneous details is not spiritually healthy and can lead to loss of testimony if not kept in check, and no I am not saying that you are guilty of that.

You refer to thoughts. Prophets and apostles have told us many times that thoughts, in and of themselves, are NOT sins! It is what we DO with those thoughts that determine whether or not we need to repent!
It is impossible for us to prevent thoughts coming to our minds. It is one of the WEAKNESSES of the flesh. How do you repent (change) something you have no control over?
One of the steps of TRUE repentance is to NOT REPEAT the sin! If you promise God that you will never have thoughts like that come into your mind/heart again, you would be lying!
Thoughts are temptations. Even Christ was tempted! When the devil temped Christ, Christ did NOT sin by thinking about how to respond to the devil. Like Christ, WE do not have to entertain evil thoughts, and I’m sure that you are not guilty of entertaining evil thoughts every day of your life either!
It’s like pop-ups coming into your web browser. You can’t control them. The key thing is what you DO with them! If they contain filth, do you leave them running and enjoy them for a while? Or… do you delete them as fast as you possibly can… even turn off the computer if need be. The pop-up itself is not something YOU need to repent of. It is what you DO with that pop-up that matters!
Again, refer to an excellent book by a PhD & mission president’s wife:http://deseretbook.com/Weakness-Not-Sin-Liberating-Distinction-Awakens-Our-Strengths-Wendy-Ulrich/i/5021780
(listen to the interview excerpt on the page as well… I’m sure you’ll find it VERY interesting!)

I believe you are misunderstanding the message. Repent daily, when there’s the need of repentance. We are given the opportunity of daily repentance because God loves us so much that he doesn’t want anyone to perish, but everyone to have life eternal.

They are all church doctrine, so it doesn’t matter if a Prophet said it at some point, if you or I said it at some point, or if someone of another faith said it. Doctrines of Christ are Doctrines of Christ regardless of who says it. These 15 things have been taught in the Holy Bible and the Book of Mormon for years, and before that when Christ was on the earth, this is what He taught His followers. So regardless of who said it, these 15 DOCTRINE goals are the greatest goals a person could ever accomplish, because they will most definitely lead anyone closer to Jesus Christ.

Jeremy…
I was just saying that the TITLE is misleading. I didn’t say the doctrines were false!
The title says that these are 15 resolutions from the PROPHETS. Not all of them are. That was my only comment.

When I read these lists, though I like them, I tend to get overwhelmed 🙁 Pretty much if I do all that is on that list, I can almost caulk myself up to being a perfect Saint 🙂 It is practically impossible to do ALL of that, but I do like the list 🙂 Here is to trying to be better at even a FEW of those things! 🙂

@bob
At no place in this article is perfection mentioned. Nowhere. These are simply steps to use to evaluate where we are and to assist us in striving to do/be better in our own personal lives. If an individual has given up on bettering him/herself, then they have missed the point of why we are even here on earth. It’s all about progression, both in this life and the one to come.

Thank you for your article. I know that these goals and principles have been given to us in the great spirit of LOVE. As I read the responses of a few people who seemed to feel the need to cast a shadow of negativity on what they read into your article, I was impressed to reply directly to their opinions. For those who feel that striving for perfection is an impossible task, you are right. Quit now and you will continue to be miserable and unhappy with yourself and everyone around you as you can expect. For the many others who saw the message of LOVE in this article, continue to strive for that kind of personal perfection that you may never obtain in this lifetime, but that in doing your best in LOVE, you will see many miracles in your own life and all the lives you touch. As you strive to live your life, trying and often failing to be “perfect” you will find that happiness and prosperity that will always elude the “quitters” of this world. However, even though Christ-like perfection may always be just beyond our grasp, in striving to be Christ-like, we will become closer to perfection every day and be happier in everything we do. It is a ripple effect that can and will create a global community of LOVE.

I used to become overwhelmed and discouraged by lists like these. But I had an institute teacher that encouraged us to choose the top six General Conference talks that stood out to us, and focus on one each month for the six months between conferences. I realized that it was okay to not magnify the whole list of admonissions, but to select a few that struck us as personally significant and strive to implement them. My experience tells me that the process of ongoing attempts to implement true principles is much more potent for self improvement than how completely we master the entire list of admonissions from the prophets. Even in my best moments, I’d still only grade my perfection at about a B-. And that’s not distressing for me anymore because I know that Jesus Christ loves me so much and is please with my continued attempts to learn of and copy His ways. It’s okay to achieve a B- on my own power and allow Jesus to eventually perfect me on His power.

remember, life isn’t about checklists, it’s about changing the kind of person you are to become like Christ. The more you focus solely on purifying your heart, the less depressing the “laundry list” of stuff to do will be, the easier it will get and the more everything that is important will just fall more effortlessly into place. 🙂 don’t give up. 🙂 He never asks anything of us that we cannot accomplish.

I will be speaking on Creating a Christ Centered Life on the second Sunday this month. This article will help me in the assignment as well as help me through 2015. I will adapt each of these suggestions into a personal resolution for 2015. Thanks!